


Whatever It Takes

by shutupmulder



Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Ilsa/Ethan, Pain, The Team - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-08-22 19:08:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16603829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutupmulder/pseuds/shutupmulder
Summary: The team find themselves in a dreadful situation. Only one person can save them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with another fic! I'm sorry it took so long, I haven't had a lot of inspiration. 
> 
> I hope you like it!

 

**Outskirts of Petén, Guatemala.**

It had been a difficult mission to begin with. They all knew it, but they had a decent plan and things were going fine. Up until now.

“ _You have one minute to come out unarmed with your hands above your head, or we blow up the building_.” A male voice shouted from outside.

The silence was deafening as the team shared looks of defeat. There was no way out. They were trapped inside the small house they had taken refuge in and the building was surrounded by García’s men. Either they gave up or they would all meet a certain death in less than a minute.

Ilsa closed her eyes for a few moments. She knew what she had to do. There was no way they were getting out of here alive and there was no way she would let her friends be captured by Diego García. Never. She made her decision.

 

 **Briefing room, three days earlier.**  

_“This is Diego García, born 1968 in Colombia.” Brandt spoke as the rest of the agents eyed the picture on the big screen. “You have probably heard of him, he’s a powerful drug lord who has connections to one of the most dangerous drug cartels in Mexico, Los Zetas, who not only profit on selling drugs but also on human trafficking. The government has never been able to lay their hands on him, and he has people everywhere protecting him. García is also good for at least 200 million dollars and is known for bribing people. His reputation is.. well, he’s not a person you would like to meet. Tortures and brutal murders seem to occur wherever he is. We believe he has valuable information about the violent murders of the thirteen politicians in New Mexico. Your mission is to capture the son of a bitch.” Brandt finished, eying his friends in front of him who were listening intently._

_“This is not an easy mission. It will require some damn good planning and skill for this to go according to plan. Which is why you are all here. We have a few ideas of how to execute this mission, but nothing is decided yet, we wanted to discuss with you too.”_

_Brandt explained the plans they had come up with in order to capture Diego García. Ethan, Benji, Ilsa, Brandt and Luther agreed upon which plan they would go with._

_“There is something I must tell you first, though,” Ilsa said in the midst of planning. The team eyed her._

_“I’ve met him before. Diego.”_

_“You’ve_ **_met_ ** _him?” Benji asked skeptically._

_“Yes.”_

_“Would he recognize you?” Brandt asked._

_“Yes, he would.” Ilsa said._

_“Are you sure?” Brandt inquired._

_“Yeah. I’m sure.” She took a deep breath. “I got captured by him. He made sure that he’d personally be the one to.. question me.” Ilsa had a faraway look in her eyes._

_“Jesus.” Benji muttered, knowing what the man was capable of. “How did you get away?” He asked small, as if he was afraid even asking her about it._

_“I got lucky and managed to escape. From what I heard afterward, he wasn’t too happy about it. There was even a search for me in the criminal circles for some time.” She shook her head lightly._

_“So we have to make sure that Ilsa is not close to him as we take him. In case things go wrong we would not want him to recognize her.” Ethan added._

_The rest of the team agreed._

_“In case things go wrong..” Ilsa said, almost to herself, closing her eyes briefly. “Do not get captured by him. Whatever you do. He’s a horrible man, sadistic and brutal. You know what he has done and can do. Do not get captured by him, do you understand?” Ilsa finished and the certainty and authority in her voice made the rest of the team wonder what the hell she had been through. Deep inside, however, they did not want to know. But they took her word for it, don’t get captured._

 

**Outskirts of Petén, Guatemala.**

Ethan and the team watched as Ilsa suddenly moved, walking over to the bag containing their tech. She picked up an item out of the bag and put it against her neck, seemingly implanting a tracker beneath her skin, as she had done several times before.

“ _My name is Ilsa Faust._ ” Ilsa shouted loud enough for García’s men outside to hear. _Call your boss and tell him that I’m willing to walk out of the house if you let my friends be. I’ll go with you willingly if you promise to not hurt the rest of the people inside the building._ ”

“Ilsa!” Ethan growled, making his way over towards her. “Stop it. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He said angrily, looking at her.

“It’s the only way, Ethan. You know it.” She answered, her voice convincing.

“No. I won’t send you out to them. I’m the team leader, this is my decision.” They were standing close to each other now, the tension between them obvious.

“Ethan, with all due respect, I disobey your decision. Had it been you, you would not have doubted one second to go out in order to save everyone else. He wants me, and if I can save us all by going outside, I will.” Ilsa lay her hand gently on Ethan’s cheek.

“ _Our boss agrees to your terms, miss Faust. You have one minute to walk out of this building unarmed. No tricks or you all die._ ” The same man’s voice could be heard again and Ethan shook his head at the words.

“No.” He said simply looking at her.

“Yes. For God’s sake, Ethan, you know it’s the only way.” She smiled encouraging at him and she could see in his eyes that he knew they had to do this. That did not mean he liked it. Not at all.  

“It’s okay, I’ll be fine.” She took his hand and lay it gently on her neck, on the spot where they always insert the tracker and she smiled before kissing him gently on the mouth. When their lips parted she could see tears forming in his eyes.

“I trust you’ll find me.” She put her arms around him and hugged him tight for a few seconds, her eyes landing on Luther standing behind Ethan’s back. She shook her head lightly at Luther’s look and her eyes stared sharply into his for a few moments.

Ilsa stepped back from Ethan and handed him her gun and the two knives that she kept hidden on her body.

“We’ll come after you. As soon as we can.” Ethan said, his eyes intense.

“I know.” She smiled, gave the rest of the team a quick glance and walked towards the door. Right before she pulled the handle, she suddenly turned around. “I love you.” The words sounded almost desperate to Ethan’s ears.

“I love you.” Ethan returned.

” _I’m coming out now_.” Ilsa turned the handle on the door.

Sunlight filtered into the room as she opened the door and Ethan watched as the love of his life walked out to surrender to a man she had warned them all about not getting captured by alive. As the door slowly closed shut by the force of the wind, shivers suddenly ran down his body.

“ _You will wait inside for another five minutes._ ” The voice from outside yelled. “ _Then you’re free to go_.”

Ethan couldn’t hear what happened after Ilsa stepped outside, but after a couple of minutes, he heard several cars drive off. He waited another minute before he got out of the house. No sign of Ilsa or any cars. The team’s van was in huge flames, García’s men had left no means of transportation behind.

“It’s safe.” Ethan spoke so that the rest of the team could come out.

“Hey, it’s okay, Ethan. We’ll find her, it’s just a phone call and the Headquarters can tell us where she is.” Benji said reassuringly when he came out, putting a hand on Ethan’s shoulder. Ethan nodded at Benji’s words.

“Ethan, we need to try and find the car she is in. Quickly.” Luther said, slight desperation in his voice evident.

“It’s okay, Luther, we can track her.” Benji stated.

“No. No, we can’t.” He answered sadly, not meeting Ethan’s eyes.

“What do you mean? I could see she implanted a tracker into her neck.” Benji was getting more confused and Ethan looked questioningly at Luther as well.

Luther shook his head. “No. She.. She pretended to do it. The tracker wasn’t working. Ilsa and I were checking the tech earlier today and we noticed it was malfunctioning but we didn’t get the time to time to tell you before García’s men showed up.“ Luther took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry.” Luther said, tears forming in his eyes.

Ethan was clenching his fists tightly, deep green eyes looking at his old friend in disbelief and hurt.

“She must have known you wouldn’t have let her go otherwise.” Luther finished, finally looking up at his best friend. Their eyes met for several seconds, no words needed for them to express their feelings, the regret in Luther’s eyes was obvious, and Ethan’s eyes were glistening with pain and doubt.

It was not anger for his friend that was on his mind. Deep inside, amongst all the turbulent thoughts in his head, Ethan knew Luther had done the right thing about not informing Ethan about the malfunctioning tech. Would he have let her go if he didn’t believe they could easily track her? He could not tell. All he knew now was that he was scared. Scared because Ilsa was in the hands of Diego García and they had no idea where or how to find her.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Bogotá, Colombia**

_ She turned around abruptly to tell him she loved him. In front of the team. That was unlike Ilsa. Now that he thought about it, the words had just popped out of her mouth, and there had been a desperation to them. Almost as if it was a goodbye. He watched her open the door and as she walked out he wondered if he’d ever see her again.  _

Ethan woke with a start. He sat up, panting for breath, sweat clinging to his t-shirt and he shook his head, trying to clear out the bad dream. 

_ It was not goodbye _ , he convinced himself. 

He would find her. He must find her, for he does not know what to do without her.

Ethan did not know if she was even alive. Ilsa had told them that Diego was mad at her for escaping, that he even had looked for her. Ethan doubted García would kill her, at least not immediately. The thoughts made him feel sick to his stomach, was she in pain now? If she was alive, then most likely she was hurting. 

It had now been two weeks and two days since she had gone with Diego’s men. All that time and he had not been able to find her. He was cursing at himself, he barely slept or ate properly, spending all his time looking for her. Unsuccessfully. 

Diego García owned many properties, but he was a rather hard man to find. He liked to keep himself in the dark, so as no one that he did not want to meet could locate him.

Ethan got out of the bed and stood by the window looking out over the city. The latest leads had led him to Bogotá and at 11 am today a man named Alejandro Martínez would arrive at the airport. The man was an associate of García’s and it was possible that he knew about García’s location at the moment, which hopefully would lead to Ilsa. Ethan had the plan figured out and he was going to have a chat with Martínez. 

 

\---

 

“Nothing. There is nothing.” Benji said exasperatedly as he walked into the room after making several calls concerning Diego García’s whereabouts and associates. “And how the hell can such a well-known drug lord just disappear?”

“He’s good. Diego may be a brutal and horrible man, but he is not stupid.” Brandt said, standing up and stretching his legs. 

“Please. You don’t have to say that. It’s enough reading about what kind of man he is on every single page here.” Luther said lowly, taking his eyes off the computer and rubbing his eyes, releasing a deep sigh. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-.” Brandt said earnestly. 

“It’s okay.” Luther took a sip of the coffee in front of him. 

“Still no word from Ethan?” Benji asked, looking at his friends.

“No. He’s supposed to intercept Martínez in less than half an hour, though, so it might not be long until we hear from him. It depends on how loyal Martínez is to Diego.” Brandt shook his head, he did not wish to be Alejandro Martínez at the moment. To face Ethan in his most desperate and darkest moments would be a nightmare. 

“Loyal.” Luther muttered and the room was silent for a moment.

“He knows it was the right thing to do, you know.” William broke the silence, looking at his friend as he spoke the words. “We would all have died if it wasn’t for her actions.” 

“He’s just.. Ethan.” Brandt continued. “You know how much he cares about the people he loves. To not know where she is or what she’s going through, it’s killing him. He loves you, Luther, he’s just hurting. He knows you did the right thing being silent about the tracker, but he’s desperate and blinded by fear. He will talk to you as normal again, he just needs time.” Benji smiled at Brandt’s encouraging words to Luther, glad he was surrounded by such good friends in this dreadful situation. 

“And if we don’t find her?” Luther asked bitterly. 

“We will.” Benji stated. “We will find her and things will go back to normal.” Benji’s voice was steady and convincing. Luther’s behaviour had troubled both Benji and Brandt the past few weeks. Luther was always calm, steady and optimistic throughout everything. They barely recognized their friend, his speech was different, a sadness lay over each sentence he spoke and he only spoke whenever he needed to. It also looked as if he had barely slept.

However, Benji could understand the change in Luther’s behaviour. Luther and Ethan had been friends since forever, and he knew Luther felt like he had betrayed Ethan. If he had told Ethan in Guatemala about the malfunctioning tracker maybe Ilsa would not be in the hands of Diego García. It is possible they would all be dead or captured if he had told Ethan, but Luther was hurting and Ilsa was on his mind, wherever she was and whatever condition she was in. 

Also, Benji knew it was not just the fact that he felt like he had betrayed Ethan. 

_ Ilsa _ . 

Ilsa who had come into their lives a few years ago and had left such an impact on all of them. She was part of their family now. The thing was, Luther and Ilsa had always had a special relationship. Benji and Ilsa were best friends and he loved her very much, he could always make her laugh and he knew she loved him as well.

Ilsa and Luther, however, had something different. Luther was protective of her and she accepted it. It was almost like the bond you would see between a little sister and a big brother. Benji could not even imagine the amount of guilt Luther must be feeling. It did not matter if the guilt was misplaced, the guilt was there and it was not going anywhere. Not until they found Ilsa, which they knew they had to do soon because by each passing day the chances of finding her alive were getting smaller.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little short, but I promise you the next one will be longer. It will also probably be posted tomorrow. :)


	3. Chapter 3

_Tired. Cold._

Those were the first thoughts that crossed Ilsa’s mind when she came to her senses. She slowly opened her eyes, wincing slightly at the motion as she stretched her limbs. Or tried to stretch her limbs. She did not get very far with her hands before she felt a sharp pain at her wrists. _Handcuffs_ , she thought and turned her head to look at her bound wrists that were tied to chains leading to a stone wall where they were attached.

 _Great, good luck getting out of that,_ she thought and looked around the small room with grey stone walls. There was nothing in the room except for a small wooden chair and table on the opposite side of the room from where Ilsa was bound. She noticed there was a large wooden door and a not so brightly shining light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The room had no windows and judging by the smell, Ilsa thought that she must be in a basement.

Her left foot was cuffed as well, the chain reaching about a meter before it attached to the ground. She was lying on a thin mattress, and there was no blanket.

When she was done with her observation of the room and her situation, she knew she would not be able to break free. There was a numbness in her entire body and mind as well, drugs, and she tried to remember the final events before she blacked out.

 _Ethan,_ she thought. _Poor Ethan, he must be out of his mind not being able to find me._

She remembered taking a last look at him and saying the three words that she had said before in her life, but had not understood the full meaning of until she met Ethan. Scared is not a word Ilsa would use to describe herself, but at that moment when she looked at him, she had been truly scared. She was afraid that it was the last time she ever looked upon him.

Ilsa knew that finding her would not be easy. García was a smart man and he was good at hiding. She also knew Ethan would have to find her pretty fast because she doubted García would keep her alive for long when he was satisfied with whatever he had in store for her.

Ilsa shivered at the thought.

She tried not to think of the last time she was captured by Diego. It had only been for two days and the only physical pain she endured during her stay was some punches, kicks and a broken nose. Nothing, really. Nothing compared to what he would have done to her had she not escaped before he got time to properly lay his hands on her.

Diego had kept a few of his prisoners in the same room, Ilsa and three other men, all tied up. She had watched as he tortured two of the men in some of the most brutal ways she could imagine before he had killed them. She knew that she had the same fate waiting, but luckily she managed to escape.

She never saw Diego García again. Later she had seen a picture of herself, one where she had been caught on García’s security cameras when she was escaping. García had been pissed, he understood that she had not just been any woman, for not just anybody could take down six of his guards and escape. He had looked for her and her picture had circled around in the criminal circles. After that she stayed away from South America for a few years after the incident, she did not want to be recognized.

Yet now here she was, once again locked up in a cell in the hands of Diego García.

 

\---

 

A guard had entered her room four times since she first woke up, giving her some food and water. She had tried to converse with him but he had not spoken a single word. Ilsa had looked for anything that could release her cuffs, but there was nothing. She had also tried to break free, but she had given the idea up quickly, the cuffs were too tight and she was only hurting herself more by trying. The only thing she could do was wait, eat and sleep.

Since she did not how long she had been unconscious and there were no windows in the room she had no idea of telling how much time had passed since she was captured. She did not even know if she was in Guatemala anymore.

She had just drifted off to sleep when there was a knock on the door. Ilsa, sleeping very lightly, immediately opened her eyes, confused as to who was knocking on the door. After all, she was a prisoner. The door opened softly as she moved into a sitting position, giving her shoulders some relief after being held up slightly when she was lying down.

Into the room walked no one else but Diego García. His black, curly hair was unruly like it had been the last time she saw him. He picked up the chair by the table with ease and moved it closer to her, keeping out of reach so he did not touch her, though, and with her being chained she couldn’t reach him either. He sat down on the chair and his hazel brown eyes met her blue ones.

“Hello again, Ilsa.” He said, eying her curiously as if he was studying her.

“Hello, Diego.” She answered, face blank as she maintained eye contact.

“It’s good to see you again. I apologize for your.. treatment, but considering the last time you were captured, I thought it best to keep you tied up. I must say you made a complete fool of me and my men the last time we met.” He flashed her a charming smile, breaking his observation of her.

She returned a small smile. “I would say I’m sorry about that.” She angled her head a little to the left. “But I’m not. You see, I’m not a big fan of torture and murder.” Raising an eyebrow she watched his eyes lit up in amusement.

“Humour.” He flashed her another smile. “I like that.”

“You see, after you escaped, I tried to find you, Ilsa. I don’t like failure and your escape definitely felt like a failure. After a lot of research, I found out about your name from an associate of mine, who you apparently had pissed off during a job in Mexico. Then a lot of things happened in my life and I had to let go of the little hunt for you.” He crossed his legs as he spoke.

“Once life got back to normal, I did not take up the search for you. I don’t exactly know why, but it felt like the right thing to do. So you can imagine my surprise when I got a phone call saying that Ilsa Faust would surrender to me if I let some of her friends go. You know me, I’m a man of my word, and a few other agents dead compared to seeing you again… It was not exactly a difficult choice.” Once again he flashed a lopsided smile and Ilsa was wondering if the man was flirting with her.

“Why?” She asked simply, trying to read his intentions.

“As I said, I don’t like failure. And also, you fascinated me. On the security cameras, I saw how easily you took down my men. That leg move you did, that was incredible.”

“Thank you. But I take it I’m not here just so you can give me compliments?” She gave him a small smile.

“No, of course, you’re right. I’m actually here to make you an offer.”

“An offer?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. You see, I’m a man who has just about everything I need. Money is not a problem, but entertainment, however, is a problem. Some people like poker, some like hunting, some like women etc. Everyone has their own hobbies.” The sound of a text message interrupted Diego and he picked his phone out of his pocket, looking on the screen for a few moments before he put the phone back.

“And what is your hobby?” Ilsa asked.

“Have you ever seen the movie _Gladiator_? Fantastic movie, directed by Ridley Scott. Russell Crowe won an Oscar for it.”

Deep inside, Ilsa did not exactly wish to know where he was going with that question, but her instincts said that she should play along and please him.

“Fantastic soundtrack by Hans Zimmer. Yes, I’ve seen it.”

“And you know your movies, as well. I am impressed.” He smiled, pleased with her answer.

“You see, it is one of my favorite movies, I find it very entertaining. So recently I have started to come up with this.. game, you could call it. You know I have enemies everywhere and whenever I get a hold on one of them I like to have some fun before I kill them. Not anymore. Or not fun in the way you think, the way you have personally witnessed.” He took a deep breath and thought for a moment about how to continue.

“Imagine you had a choice. Either you get tortured and die a painful death, or you get to fight for your life and live a little longer if you win.”

Their eyes met for a few seconds. Ilsa pondered on what to say.

“All the men I have asked have chosen the second alternative. Now I am giving you the same choice.” His eyes lit up as he smiled at her.

“A choice? To either get tortured, right here, right now before you kill me, or fight for my own life?” 

“Yes.”

“Could you care to explain more on the second option?” Ilsa asked.

“You will be taken to a room, a nice room with a large bed and a shower. You will stay there as a guest, you will be given proper food and clothes. Make no mistake, though, we will keep an eye on you, in more ways than one. It would be foolish to even try and escape. Should you, however, try to escape, you will not even make it out of the building before you will be electrocuted by one of these,” he held up a small wristband made out metal. “This will always be on your arm and it is very effective in keeping people where I want them to be.”

“But enough about that, as I said, you will be treated as a guest. However, every third day you will be expected to compete in my little game. The game consists of different challenges, most of them are physical, where you fight against either my men or another “Gladiator” so to speak.” He chuckled at his choice of word.

“By “Gladiator” you mean prisoner?”

“That’s right.”

“And if I win?” Ilsa asked.

“You live. Then you have three days rest until the next challenge.”

“And if I lose?”

“If you lose but don’t die, you will compete in the next challenge. Should you lose again, however, in the next challenge.. then you are dead.”

“I see.” Ilsa studied him the entire time as he was speaking. By the expression on his face at the moment, she knew that he really wanted her to choose the second option. Of course, there was no option one, in this case, she had to try and stay alive for as long as she could. Hopefully, she would get an open window to escape, or Ethan and the team would find her. However, she did not answer him immediately, she wanted to get to know Diego as much as she could and the one thing she knew at the moment was that Diego did not want her to die. Yet.

“What do you choose?” He asked, his jaw tense.

“Option two.” She answered simply.

“I’m glad.” He smiled. “I’m glad.”


	4. Chapter 4

“I truly mean it, Ilsa, you were incredible tonight. As always.” Ilsa walked alongside Diego to her room.

“Thank you.” Ilsa pressed the bag of ice to her jaw and winced slightly. They made it to her door and she gave him a pointed look.

“Are you sure you don’t want help with that?” He asked, giving her a concerned look.

“No, thank you. I’m fine.” She tried her best to sound convincing, even when her jaw hurt like hell and not to mention her ribs, but the last thing she needed was Diego García inside her room.

“Okay. Good night, Ilsa.” He smiled gently at her as his thumb very gently brushed her uninjured cheek. Ilsa did her best not to flinch away from this touch.

“Good night, Diego.” She moved towards her door and his hand fell from her face. As she closed the door behind her she let out a deep breath, only causing her breath to hitch from the pain in her ribs. She also held her free hand against her middle, where the large gash on her stomach had opened up, and it was still bleeding slightly.

Fuck. She was really deep in it now. Counting the days since she “became a Gladiator”, as Diego put it, twelve days had passed. Twelve days and three challenges.

Her given Gladiator name was Aquila. Diego had told her that the name meant eagle in Latin and that it describes the positive attributes of wilderness and courage. “How fitting.” He had said. Of course, Ilsa already knew that the Aquila meant eagle in Latin, not that she had told him. She realized quickly that he was pleased when he said something that either surprised her or something she did not know.

Thankfully, Ilsa had won all of the challenges. That did not mean she had not suffered injuries through some of them, and the injuries did not exactly help with the next challenge. Three days rest was not particularly long, especially not now since she had injured her ribs.

The first challenge had been a test on how long you could your breath and she competed against another prisoner. Ilsa had been relieved when she found out about the task, she knew she had a pretty good chance. Of course, Ilsa had been right and she came out of the water two minutes after her competitor, a very clear win.

The second challenge had been a bit more difficult. Sword fighting. Ilsa met three of García’s men, one at a time, and the last one was the most skilled. In fact, he was very skilled. He got a few small hits, one on her thigh, and had even managed to slash her pretty badly on her stomach before she managed to take him down. The same wound on her stomach had opened up tonight when she injured her ribs.

Tonight’s challenge had been a complicated outside obstacle course. Not only did you have to climb, go over, under and between obstacles, but you had to fight off living obstacles -  García’s men. A little over halfway through, Ilsa had been too focused on what was in front of her and missed that one man was coming out from her right. A stupid mistake, he had sucker punched her in the face which resulted in her falling off the course and landed badly, injuring her ribs. She was sure she had heard a crack and the pain in her jaw and ribs was blinding. However, she managed to get back on track and was first to cross the finish line.

Ilsa moved slowly towards the small kitchen part of the room, adjoined with the living room and bedroom, and took out a bottle of water from the fridge. She removed the lid and drank slowly, trying to move her jaw as little as possible. Groaning, she sat down on the bed as the cold water gave her some relief. After putting the water bottle down she lifted her shirt to inspect her stomach.

_Fuck._

It was worse than she thought and she needed stitches. Again. She would be screwed in the next challenge if she did not get the large gash stitched up. However, they did not exactly give her a needle and thread. Every little thing was considered too dangerous for her to be in possession of, which was why whenever she needed something, at least one of García’s men had to be with her when she got it. But the real problem was not that they were always watching her and what she did. The real problem was that García’s men no longer helped or followed her, Diego García himself performed those duties now and it was starting to creep her out.

Ilsa was a smart woman. She had quickly realized that Diego was interested in her. Now, he was truly stalking her and did everything to find an excuse to talk to her. He visited her room a couple of times per day, talking about one thing or another, nothing important really. He was just there to see her, to talk to her and it was as if with each challenge she performed, his gaze got even more intense.

He wanted her.

And there was no stopping him, really, he could do whatever he wanted with her. Ilsa felt like it was only a matter of time before he would try anything, nicely or roughly. Which was why the last thing she wanted was to call for Diego to come to her room to stitch her up, touching her middle. But Ilsa was a survivor, and a survivor did not back down, hiding in fear when the outcome would only become worse if she did not take care of her herself. So she called for Diego and hoped for the best.

 

**Safehouse in Guadalupe, Mexico, three days later**

“Okay guys, so here’s what we will do. Jane, Benji, Richard and I are going in from the North passage. Brandt, you and Luther will take the East passage, enter the surveillance room and take control. Joseph, you’ll be the driver and guard the van.”

“Our main mission is to take Diego García alive. Okay?” The rest of the team nodded. “However, with Alejandro’s information, we have a high reason to believe that Ilsa could be in there as well. And if she is, we are not leaving without her.”

“Which is why Jane, Benji and I will enter the basement first. Alejandro said it would be either in the basement or a guest room on the upper levels, but in order to get to the upper levels, we need to be in control of the cameras. So while we check the basement, you, Luther and Brandt, take over the surveillance room. Once that is done you will guide us through the building, and hopefully, you will be able to see both Ilsa and García on camera so we have an exact location. In case we don’t see them, you will just have to lead us through the building in the safest way possible while we check the rooms. Once we have what we’re there for, we will meet up by the East passage before we run for the van. Okay?” Ethan looked at his friends in front of him, eyes intense as he searched for any doubt or if they had any objections.

“Sounds good to me.” Benji said, and the rest of the team hummed and nodded in agreement.

“Good. Now, there’s one hour until we leave so get ready. Eat, rest, whatever you want to do, as long as you’re ready and at your best in an hour. It’s going to be a long night.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Oh no! She goes down, Aquila goes down and Brutus is fast and that is one, two, no three hard punches in the face. He takes a pause and down goes four, five, six punches and look at that, he decides, that is enough.” The commentator’s voice echoed through the room.

“Brutus the brute has done it again, she is lying still. The referee comes closer and pries Brutus off her body, and that is a blackout, everyone. The still unbeatable Aquila is floored by the one and only Brutus and it is now 1-1 after the first two rounds.” The crowd cheered at the commentator’s words as the referee tried to wake the unconscious Ilsa up.

“Fuck.” Brandt spoke into the comm, his eyes not leaving the screen where he had just watched a man beat Ilsa unconscious. Brandt and Luther had just taken the surveillance room and sat down to go over the security cameras when they noticed what was going on in the room that was called “Tennis court” on the screen.

“We found her.” Luther said, voice small, his eyes not leaving Ilsa’s bloodied face, another man standing over her body trying to wake her up.

“What? Is she okay? Where is she?” Ethan’s desperate voice quickly answered.

“It says “Tennis court”, but that is not a fucking tennis court." Brandt stated. "It’s on the ground floor in the South building. Get out of the basement, there’s a stairway if you go through the next door on your left. Once you get up, you turn right and run straight until I tell you more.”

“There. In the audience, that is Diego García. He’s in the room too.” Luther spoke, watching the screen. Both Luther and Brandt scanned the audience, realizing that it was at least twenty people in the room and their eyes met in understanding.

“Copy that.” Ethan spoke as he sped up his steps and made sure the team was following him closely.

Brandt and Luther watched as a slightly disoriented Ilsa stood up and struggled to keep her footing, putting her hands on her knees and leaning forward. She spat blood out of her mouth before she stood up straight, a now determined look on her injured face.

“Is she okay, Brandt? Luther?” Ethan’s voice spoke after a few moments.

Luther and Brandt shared a look.

“Just hurry up.” Brandt said and the tone of his voice worried Ethan.

“We need to know what we are walking in to, Brandt.” Ethan answered harshly and a little out of breath as he ran through the corridor.

Brandt and Luther watched the screen where Ilsa and the man they called Brutus stood facing each other again and the commentator spoke again. “And the third and final round begins!”

“They’re fighting.” Brandt spoke into the comm. “It’s like a boxing game and Ilsa is fighting against a man. There are about twenty people in the audience watching them. Apparently, they’re on the third round.”

“Twenty people?” Ethan answered.

“Yeah, we’re working on a plan. Okay, next up you’re leaving this building. I need you to go through the next door on your left. Once outside, you head right, and that will take you through the garden. When you get to the fountain you turn right again and it’s the building right in front of you. However, the main door is guarded, so you need to safely go round and you will find the backdoor on the left side of the building.”

“Copy that.” Ethan spoke and continued with following Brandt’s instructions.

Brandt and Luther watched as Ilsa fought with the huge man on the screen. He was clearly stronger but she was faster and managed to avoid his punches. She was doing pretty well, but they could see that not only was her face injured, but her left arm was crossed and held against her body as if her middle was hurting. Probably her ribs, by the look of it.

“We need to create a diversion for you to get into the room.” Luther spoke. “How about Brandt and I set off the intruder alarm, announcing in the walkie here that there are five armed intruders in the West passage. That will probably scare him off, stop the game and try to get himself and the audience to safety. But by the look of it, most of the audience seems to be his guards, which would also explain why there are so few guards on patrol. Most of them will probably go take out the intruders so there should be fewer people in the room when you enter. But you need to take them by surprise, several guards will probably stay and protect García.”

Brandt smiled at Luther, impressed. “That’s a good plan. Ethan?”

“Yes, good job, Luther. Going silent now to sneak around the main door.” Ethan responded.

“Copy that.” Luther answered

Luther and Brandt watched as Ilsa did her signature move, “Killer thigh move” as Benji described it, and brought the large man down. She landed on top of Brutus and quickly punched him in the face twice. He took a hold of her arm and delivered a fist straight on her nose and she fell back, tumbling off of him. She quickly got back on her feet but her nose was bleeding profusely and as she looked up, slightly disoriented once again, she was only a second too late. Brutus had been quick back on his feet as well and kneed her hard in the stomach, making her groan loudly as she fell to her hands and knees, one hand clutching her middle.

The room was silent as Brutus spit out a tooth, holding his mouth in pain before he circled around her as if she was a wounded animal and he was the prey. Brandt and Luther watched in horror as Ilsa stayed down in the same position, probably trying to catch her breath from the punch, wishing that Ethan and the team would hurry up.

 

\---

 

“Do you yield?” Brutus asked.

Ilsa watched as the blood coming out of her nose formed small red spots on the floor. She shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. She could feel the wet warmth of blood on her hand, his knee had opened up the gash on her stomach.

“What? I said, do you give up?” Brutus said louder this time.

Ilsa took a deep breath. “No.” She knew her chance to win with her injuries was very small. But all she needed was a little window to get in the right position and she could take him down. Her legs were almost the only uninjured part of her body and they were also her biggest strength.

Brutus smirked at her and raised his eyebrows as if saying “get up”. Ilsa complied, slowly getting on her feet, her hand still clutching her stomach. Her white shirt did not hide the fact that she was bleeding from her middle and Brutus focused his gaze on her stomach. That small second of distraction was all she needed and she lunged at him, taking a quick step on his knee, fending off his arm raised in defense as she climbed up and successfully swung both her legs around his neck bringing him down with her.

Ilsa landed on her back and ignored the pain in her chest and stomach as she squeezed her legs together as hard as she could. Brutus panicked and tried to claw at her legs. It did not take long until she felt him relax, and as she heard the commentator (who had been silent for a long time) call out that she had won, Ilsa let go of his neck. She heard a distant clapping as the referee dragged him off her body and Ilsa lay still on the ground, exhausted, as the room was spinning.

Ilsa was so tired that she was barely aware of what was going on, but she did notice a change in the atmosphere, loud and rushed voices yelling in Spanish before she felt electric waves from the arm wrist pass through her body before she blacked out.

 

\---

 

Ethan and the team waited in a closet for Brandt and Luther’s signal to go out. They could hear the alarm siren wailing and the sound of footsteps moving towards the main door. Just as Luther had expected, many guards were heading towards the “intruders”.

“Okay. García is still in the room and there are six guards. Ilsa and another man are unconscious on the floor in the middle of the room, so try to avoid getting close to her until you’ve taken the guards out. You have the element of surprise so it’s going to go well. It’s clear, go to your positions now.” Brandt spoke into the comm as he and Luther intently watched what was going on on the security cameras.

Ethan and Benji quickly turned left as they came out while Jane and Richard turned right. Usually, Richard was on Jane’s team so Ethan figured it was best that the two of them worked together.

  
“In position by the door.” Ethan said lowly into his comm, Benji standing beside him.

“Hold on a second.” Jane spoke as she and Richard ran towards the second door.

“Okay, we’re in position.” Jane said quietly as she had her gun raised, ready to go inside.

“On my signal. One, two, three.” Ethan said as they opened the doors at the same time, storming in and taking out the surprised guards and Diego García.

Only two guards were quick enough to even fire their guns before they were taken out as well and Ethan landed a well-placed bullet in the shoulder of García, making him drop his weapon. Jane and Richard, as planned, ran towards Diego once it was safe while Benji and Ethan ran towards Ilsa.

“Ilsa?” Ethan worriedly asked as he saw her bloodied form on the ground, and he quickly looked for a pulse, exhaling when he found it.

“Jesus.” Benji let out, watching her.

“Ethan, I doubt you’ll be able to wake her and you need to get out of there. A few guards heard the shots and are running towards you. And it won’t be long until they realize that it’s a trap.” Brandt’s voice spoke in his comm.

“Right.” He looked towards Jane and she nodded, García was bound and they were ready to go. Ethan bent down and gently picked Ilsa’s unconscious form up, making her groan lightly in her sleep. “Brandt, Luther, leave the surveillance room and we’ll meet up at the East passage.”

“Copy that.” Luther answered and they hurriedly got out of the chairs, moving towards the extraction point.

Jane and Richard ran first, Ethan, carrying Ilsa, in the middle and Benji last. On route to the East passage they stumbled upon five guards but managed to take them out without any trouble. 

A terrible accident could have happened when Brandt and Luther came out of a door at the same time as the rest of the team passed by it, but luckily no one fired a shot.

“Joseph, we’ll be at the van in less than three minutes if everything goes according to plan.” Ethan said into his comm as they exited the mansion the same way they had entered,  through the hole they had made in the large fence.

“Copy that.” Joseph, who was another member of Jane’s team, answered quickly. Ethan was lucky he had gotten help by Jane’s team for this mission. He knew that he, Brandt, Luther and Benji could not have done it on their own. Luckily, the IMF considered Diego García valuable enough for them to go through with this mission, which also meant they would have a good chance at finding Ilsa. Which, luckily, they had done.

Ethan wanted nothing more than to stop and take a look at her, see to her injuries, but he stayed focused on the path in front of him, making sure not to fall as she lay limp in his arms. Finally, they saw the van in front of them and Joseph must have seen them as well, for the van quickly lit up in the dark woods.

Once everyone was inside the van, Joseph pressed the gas and they were getting out of there. Richard and Brandt sat in the front seat while the rest of the team ended up in the back. Ethan gently lay Ilsa down on the blanket that Benji had sprawled out on the floor. Benji and Ethan sat on each side of her and Luther sat down next to Ethan with a first aid kit. Jane kept an eye on García, although there was nothing he could do, bound and bleeding, trapped inside a van with several IMF agents.

Ethan lifted up her white shirt to inspect what was causing the bleeding on the front of her shirt. He hissed as he saw the large gash on her stomach. He also noticed the deep purple and blue bruises that started a few centimeters above the gash and disappeared under her sports bra. There was a bump on the road and Ilsa groaned in her sleep, her head falling slightly to the side. As Ethan pressed down on the gash on Ilsa’s stomach with some paper towels, Benji removed his jacket and put it under Ilsa’s head to make sure she would not move around too much.

“We need to clean the wound before I dress it.” Ethan said and Luther quickly found a bottle of water, opening the lid and waiting for Ethan to remove the bloodied paper towels. Ethan nodded, giving Luther permission to help as he removed the towels and Luther started pouring water on the wound.

As the cold water came in contact with the wound Ilsa moaned in her sleep. There was another bump on the road and she groaned in pain, starting to wake up. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Ethan started to talk to her. By instinct, he wanted to put his hands on her face, but her wounds and the blood stopped him. He gently took her hand in his instead. “It’s okay, Ilsa, it’s me. It’s Ethan and we’re getting you out of here.” Luther stopped pouring water and carefully laid a bandage across her stomach, gently holding it down.

Ilsa slowly blinked and started to open her eyes. Ethan tried to get eye contact and he could see that her eyes were unfocused for several seconds until they finally fixed on him. She definitely had a concussion.

“Hey there.” He smiled and she looked at him, clearly confused.

“Eth-an?” She asked in a small voice.

“Yeah, it’s me.” He nodded.

“S’this a dream?” She murmured, blinking a few times as if to see if he was actually there.

“No. This is not a dream.” The van hit another bump on the small road and Ilsa moaned in pain.

“No. A dream wouldn’t hurt, ah, like this.” She winced as the full effect of her injuries was coming to her. “You don’t.. happen.. have somethin’ for the pain?” She managed through clenched teeth and Ethan wanted to kick himself for not immediately injecting her with the morphine they had. He also noticed her jaw was in a strange position, she barely moved her mouth as she spoke.

“Of course. I’m sorry.” He said and quickly moved to get the syringe and morphine.

Ilsa turned her gaze to the left and laid eyes upon a familiar face with a look worry. He smiled as she looked at him.

“It’s good to see you, Ilsa. We missed you terribly.” Benji said softly and put his hand on top of hers.

A small smile formed on her face but she quickly stopped and winced in pain. She took a deep breath.

“I missed you too.” She managed to say through clenched teeth.

“Okay, I’m giving you the shot now.” Ethan spoke and she closed her eyes briefly, giving him permission. She barely noticed as he injected her with the morphine.

“Ilsa, we need to know where you are hurt and how badly. Does it hurt when you speak?” Ethan asked gently.

Ilsa nodded very slightly, so as not to move her injured head.

“Okay, so either point or say where it hurts.”

“It’s okay. I can.. a little.” She took a deep breath. “My ribs.” Ethan nodded and once again cast a glance to the purple-blue area on her chest. “Stomach.” Ethan nodded again.

“We’re going to get that stitched up, don’t worry.” Ethan smiled, encouraging her to continue.

“Jaw.” She spoke and Ethan hummed in agreement. Like he had suspected, her jaw was most likely broken which was why it was hard for her to speak.

“How about your head, Ilsa? I can see you have a concussion, was it the back of your head or the front?” Ethan lightly traced her hair with his fingers.

“Front. A few.. punches.”

“A few?” Luther asked questioning, having personally witnessed her being beaten to a bloody pulp.

“‘kay, several.” She groaned again as the car hit another bump on the road and she crossed her arm up towards her ribs on instinct.

“Joseph, could-” Jane started but Joseph quickly interrupted. “Sorry about that, guys, but we’re coming up on the main road now. Hopefully, there will be fewer bumps there.”

Ethan kept his eyes on Ilsa as he waited for her to continue. He could see that she started to get more relaxed as the morphine started to work its wonders. He looked into her eyes and could see she was getting dazed and tired.

“Nose. Heard crack. And cheek. Just.. My face.” She closed her eyes briefly before giving him a pleading look, telling him she was done.

“It’s okay. That’s good. You’re doing so well, love.” Ethan said gently, once again reaching out his hand to touch her face but stopping himself.

“How about your thigh?” Diego spoke all of a sudden from the corner. “It was a very small gash, but I made sure to take care of it nicely. Felt the heat of your skin against mine.” The team did not know if Diego was going to say more, but an angry punch from Jane hit him in the face and knocked him out, effectively shutting him up.

“Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” Jane said, knowing that the team wasn’t particularly mad at her for injuring the man. They could always say he tried to break free and that it was the reason for punching him.

“Don’t ‘pologize. Been wanting to do that for a while myself.” Ilsa spoke her longest sentence since she woke up and the team smiled slightly at her words.

Jane walked towards Ilsa and Benji scooted a little further towards Ilsa’s legs to give her space to sit down. “It’s good to see you, Ilsa. Though I must say.. you look terrible.” Jane smiled as she looked down at her friend. 

Ilsa gave a small smile but quickly stopped when her jaw hurt. “Thanks, Jane.”

“You’re welcome."

“Where’s Luther and Will?” Ilsa asked lowly. She had not noticed Luther sitting next to Ethan, her vision was pretty much straightforward, and that was only up at the moment. Ethan moved out of the way so that Luther could move closer.

“I’m here, kid. Brandt is in the front seat.” He gave her a small smile.

“Hey.” She murmured, looking into his warm eyes.

“You had us worried for a while.” He smiled sadly as if he was part of the blame.

“Hey, none of that.” She furrowed her brows slightly and reached for Luther’s hand. Her small fingers embraced his large hand and he let out a shaky breath.

“It’s okay.” Ilsa said. “I’m okay.”

“You’re okay?” He asked, eyebrow raised, voice thick with emotion.

“I’m alive. Isn’t that good ‘nough?” Her eyes looked pleading and he wanted nothing more than to take away the concern she had for him. She had several injuries and was barely able to speak and she was worried about him. Typical Ilsa Faust. So Luther gave her a happier smile and nodded.

“Yeah. It’s good enough.”

“Guys, we’ll be at the airport in fifteen minutes.” Brandt said from the front seat.

“Airport?” Ilsa asked.

“Yes. It’s too dangerous to go to a hospital and we need to get García out of the country as fast as possible.” Benji answered. “Don’t worry, there’s a doctor waiting on the plane.”

“No, that’s not-” Ilsa sighed. “Where are we?” She asked.

“Guadalupe.”

“Mexico.” Ilsa stated as if she had no idea where she had been and the team now realized that she had not known. They watched as she closed her eyes briefly, exhaustion taking over.

“I know. Concussion, stay awake.”  She opened her eyes just as Ethan was about to speak and the team chuckled at her words.

“Your mind-reading ability will never cease to amaze me.” Ethan shook his head, smiling at her as they rode in peace and quiet towards the airport.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kind comments on here and on Instagram. I hope you liked this chapter that was a bit longer than the previous ones. 
> 
> The next chapter will be the last :)


	6. Chapter 6

She sighed when the hot water came in contact with her back and streamed down her naked body. Eyes closed, she simply stood still under the shower stream, enjoying the heat making her tense muscles relax. The last couple of weeks had been intense and frightening and Ilsa had never been happier to be back home in her and Ethan’s house.

”Shampoo?” Ethan asked after having stepped into the shower, standing behind her. Ilsa turned around slowly and took a step back, allowing him to get under the stream with her.

”Yes please.” She answered, smiling gently at him.

He smiled back and let the water pour over his own body for a moment before he put his hand gently on her back and tugged her closer to him, stepping away from the stream. She watched him pour her favorite shampoo into his hand.

”Lean your head back and close your eyes.” He smiled and she did as told. She also felt his free hand gently grasp her wrist and put it on his lower back, giving her something to steady herself with.

Sighing, she relaxed as he used both his hands, massaging her scalp and making sure her hair was covered in shampoo before he put a hand at her waist, silently asking her to take a step back under the stream.

He helped rinse the shampoo out of her hair while she simply stood still before he went through the same routine with conditioner.

Ethan grabbed Ilsa’s bottle of body wash and raised an eyebrow, asking for permission. She nodded and stepped out of the stream once more. He started with her back, gently rubbing the lotion in before he moved to her arms. Reaching her front he kept eye contact with her as he very carefully massaged her chest and stomach, avoiding the still not healed gash on her middle.

Pleased with not making her wince, he kneeled down to wash her lower body as well. When he was satisfied with his work, he let her step back under the stream one last time and she pulled him with her.

They stood like that for a moment before she closed the distance and carefully laid her head against his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him. He massaged her back and enjoyed the comfort of having her back in his arms.

”I’m sorry, Ethan.” She said after a few moments. Moving her head back, she locked her eyes with his. ”I’m sorry I lied to you about the tracker.”

She had wanted to tell him she was sorry earlier, but the opportunity to say it and had not arisen since she came back. Ilsa was not fond of lying and especially not to the people she loved. Lying to Ethan had been more difficult than she thought and the lie had been nagging at the back of her mind.

”It’s okay.” He said, giving her a small smile.

”No, I mean it. I truly am sorry. But it was our only way of getting out of there. I think you know that too.” She smiled apologetically.

”Yes. You did what you had to do and it was the right thing. Don’t worry about it, it’s okay.” He smiled at her, trying to show her that he really meant it. He did understand and, of course, he forgave her.

She returned the smile and got lost in his warm and forgiving gaze. Slowly, she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips carefully against his. He stood still, afraid any little movement could cause her pain in her jaw, nose, ribs - anything.

She pulled back, put one hand on his cheek and the other on his chest, gently pushing him back.

”I think it’s my turn now.” She smirked and reached for his bottle of shampoo.

”Ilsa, you’re injured.” He said quickly, but she ignored his protests and poured shampoo from the bottle into her hand.

”I know I’m injured but I can bloody well wash your hair, Ethan.” She raised her eyebrow and he shook his head, smiling, at her stubbornness.

”Though,” she hesitated, not wanting to risk injuring her ribs and stomach further. ”If you could bow down your head a little..”

He grinned and bent down so that she did not have to raise her hands high in order to reach his head. She worked the shampoo into his thick hair and Ethan closed his eyes.

As her fingers massaged his scalp, she found herself aware of the moment she was in. She was home. She was with Ethan. He was right in front of her, in their shower and he looked incredibly cute bowing down, eyes closed and his hair a mess with shampoo and foam.

_God, she loved him._

Without warning, she pulled his head back up and kissed him on the mouth fully, hands still in his hair. He eagerly returned the kiss and his hands found the back of her head. Changing the angle of the kiss she suddenly groaned as their noses collided, and she pulled her head back.

”Are you okay?” Ethan looked at her with concern in his eyes.

Her hand was raised against her face and she took a deep breath.

”I can’t even kiss you for God’s sake.” She exhaled. ”I’m fine.” She looked up at him and while she noticed him trying to fight it, she could see a small smile at the corner of his mouth.

”You think it’s funny?” She raised her eyebrow and while his eyes widened comically in terror because she had realized he was laughing at her, she couldn’t help but smile at the situation as well. Seeing her smile made him release the chuckle and grin he had tried to hold back.

”I’m sorry.” He chuckled again. ”It’s just.. kind of funny. You just attacked me out of nowhere and-.” He broke off, still smiling. ”Before you start to defend yourself, yes, you did attack me with that kiss.”

Ilsa couldn’t help but laugh, herself, only to wince at the pain in her ribs and her jaw at the motion.

”Fine.” She stated once she felt like she was in control of her body and not laughing. She turned more serious now. ”It’s just, I.. I missed you, Ethan. I can’t believe you’re here. When I walked out of that building, I never thought I’d see you again.”

”Hey.” He said gently, stroking her back gently. ”I’m here. We’re here.”

”Yeah. I might not be able to laugh or even kiss you for a while, but we’re here. Together.” Ethan smiled at her words and she returned the smile, putting her hand on his cheek.

“I love you so much.” He furrowed his brows as he spoke the words, full of emotion, voice breaking off at the last word.

“And I you,” She returned, eyes glassy as she looked at him. “But you need to rinse.” she finished, making him laugh. “I can’t decide if you look ridiculous or cute or both, but let’s wash it off.”

She pushed him closer towards her and the water rinsed the mess that the shampoo had made not only in his hair but also in his and her face after the kiss. Thankfully, and miraculously, they had managed to avoid getting shampoo in the eyes.

“Now let’s get you to bed.” Ethan stated after a few moments. “As beautiful as you are, naked and scarred, you look like a zombie.” Reaching behind her, he turned the shower off.

“Wow, you really know how to compliment a woman.” Ilsa raised her eyebrow at him, the irony in her voice evident.

“Mm, I’m sorry, but you do look like you’re going to fall asleep at any moment, though, love.” He smiled apologetically as he collected their towels.

“I would carry you to bed, but I’m afraid I would only injure you further if I did.”

“Don’t you dare. At least try to give me a little dignity since I’m incapable of most everyday things that a human being should be capable of.”

Ilsa carefully dried off, as she watched Ethan smile proudly at her.

“Are you talking about laughing and kissing?” Ethan asked as they moved towards their bedroom after having dried off.

“Mhm, yes. And not to mention getting out of bed without hurting your ribs or ripping the stitches on your stomach. Or not being able to lift anything. And eating,” she sighed as she opened the drawer and put her underwear on. “God, it would be nice to be able to chew normally again.”

Ethan got dressed in a pair of boxers and she put one of Ethan’s t-shirts on before they moved towards the bed.

“But really,” she winced slightly as she carefully lay down on her back on the bed and Ethan pulled the quilt over her body before he walked over to his side of the bed. “I just wanna sleep on my stomach. Or even my side.”

Ilsa had always slept best on her stomach or side. She hated injuring herself in a way that left her capable of only sleeping on her back and, unfortunately, she, and Ethan, had a knack for hurting their ribs.

“It won’t be long. You’ve always been good at healing pretty fast.” Ethan lay on his side to watch her as he spoke. “I wish I could hold you.”

He wanted nothing more but to put his arms around her but he could not do it without hurting her.

“Me too. Come closer.”

She put the hand closest to him on her pillow and he scooted closer and took her hand in his, placing a gentle kiss to her knuckles. Their fingers were laced as she closed her eyes, feeling the tiredness taking over.

“Goodnight, Ethan.” She said in a small voice and he raised his head to place a kiss to her hair.

“Goodnight, Ilsa.” He whispered and watched as she drifted off into a peaceful sleep before he closed his own eyes.

_She was back._

She was injured, but she was back and she was going to be alright. That was all that mattered. Ethan held onto her hand, listened to her even breaths and let the darkness take over as he drifted off into what would be the first untroubled sleep in weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.flickr.com/photos/69646365@N05/6335701366 <\--- A picture I found that gave me inspiration for the shower scene. Also, I think the guy looks a lot like Tom :')
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you like the ending. :)


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